Tag: Ellington Airport

The Houston City Council has approved $18.8 million for the first phase of an ambitious effort to develop a spaceport at Ellington Airport.

The funding will pay for the construction of basic spaceport infrastructure, including streets, water, wastewater, electrical power distribution facilities, and communications facilities, according to the City Council agenda.

The council awarded the contract for the improvements, which are designed to help attract potential users of the spaceport, to Texas Sterling-Banicki, JV LLC.

Houston Spaceport is being designed to support the launch of suborbital, reusable vehicles. Officials have also opened the Houston Aerospace Support Center (HASC), which offers 53,000 square feet of laboratory office and technology incubator space and hardware production facilities.

HOUSTON, Nov. 10, 2015 (HAS PR) — The Houston Airport System completed an important step in the functional launch of the Houston Spaceport on Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2015, when Houston City Council members approved the $6.9 million purchase of an aerospace engineering building and land adjacent to Ellington Airport.

HOUSTON (HAS PR) — The Houston Airport System (HAS) and NASA have entered into an agreement today that will allow the new commercial spaceport developing at Ellington Airport (EFD) to tap into the federal space agency’s assets and expertise, expanding the possibilities for the growing commercial spaceflight industry.

HOUSTON, Oct. 7, 2015 (HAS PR) — An important step in the functional launch of the Houston Spaceport was taken on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2015, when Houston City Council members approved the $6.9 million purchase of an aerospace engineering building and land adjacent to Ellington Airport (EFD).

HOUSTON, June 30, 2015 (HAS PR) — The Houston Airport System (HAS) has been granted a Launch Site License from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that enables Ellington Airport (EFD) to establish itself as a launch site for Reusable Launch Vehicles (RLV), making it the 10th commercial spaceport in the United States.

HARWELL, England (Satellite Applications Catapult PR) — The Satellite Applications Catapult signed a Memorandum of Understanding today with the City of Houston Airport System and the Houston Spaceport to become the first international partner for the city’s commercial spaceport. The MOU states a partnership between the two organisations and the intention to work together in the future.

The announcement was made today as part of a public event where Houston Mayor Annise Parker also announced the creation of a new commercial spaceport in Houston. Representatives from the UK Satellite Applications Catapult, the Federal Aviation Administration, NASA Johnson Space Center, and the Rice Space Institute were all present during the event.

WHAT: Houston Airport System (HAS) and Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) will host a joint news conference to provide an update on plans to support the Houston Space Port. Media will have the opportunity to speak with HAS officials and SNC’s Dream Chaser® senior leadership, and learn about the potential benefits of any future partnership between HAS and SNC. The Dream Chaser spacecraft has the capability of landing on commercial runways virtually anywhere in the world.

Mark N. Sirangelo, corporate vice president and head of SNC’s Space Systems

Mario Diaz, Aviation director for Houston Airport System

Arturo Machuca, manager business development of Houston Airport System

Dr. David Alexander, director of the Rice Space Institute

WHY: HAS and SNC are forming a committee to explore the possibilities associated with the Houston/Ellington Space Port. As plans for the Houston Space Port continue to take shape, identifying required facilities or capabilities to service commercial space vehicles is essential. This location is well placed to service the Houston business, science and research community, including continuing support for the International Space Station and new commercial space enterprise.

For all the latest space news, please follow Parabolic Arc on Facebook and Twitter.

Sante Fe, N.M. — The state Board of Finance unanimously approved the New Mexico Spaceport Authority’s (NMSA) plan to seek a $20 million private loan to build Spaceport America visitor centers outside the towns of Hatch and Truth or Consequences. NMSA officials say they will pay the 21-year loan back with revenues from the centers, although some Board of Finance members questioned NMSA’s financial assumptions. The loan is in addition to the $209 million that taxpayers have spent on Spaceport America. [Albuquerque Journal]

Houston — Houston City Council has approved a 3-year consulting contract worth $718,900 to begin work on obtaining an FAA spaceport license for city-run Ellington Airport. The decision followed a presentation on how the airport and city are well suited to host horizontally launched space vehicles. A study found that equipping the airport for space operations would cost between $48 million and $122 million. [Houston Chronicle]

Titusville, Fla. — The Titusville Cocoa (TICO) Airport Authority has begun efforts to obtain an FAA spaceport license for the coastal facility. The move comes after Rocket Crafters agreed to relocate to the airport to develop a point-to-point vehicle. The company is expected to invest $72 million at the airport. [Florida SPACErePORT]